2018 NBA trade deadline: How will Greg Monroe do in Boston?
This deal was not done in a trade, but it will have major impact on fantasy leagues none the less. Exiled big man Greg Monroe was dealt to Phoenix earlier this year, a place where he could have, and did, succeed when they gave incumbent Tyson Chandler a day off. However, the Suns refused to play him over any of the youngsters when Chandler was on the floor.
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Mercifully, the Suns bought out Monroe to make him a free agent. The Pelicans were the first team to sniff around Monroe in the wake of the season ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins. Then Boston swooped in.
Despite the Pelicans offering Monroe a starting gig, he went to Boston anyway. First off, Monroe is used to the East. Next, he is not going to sit behind Aron Baynes. Even if Monroe isn’t “guaranteed” a starting job, He is going to play starter’s minutes at the very least.
If Monroe is available in your league, you need to go get him, even in standard leagues. Al Horford works better as the power forward due to his versatility. That will shore up two positions at once. The Celtics finally have a true big man, something that they believe stopped their playoff run last season.
Monroe’s stats are likely going to be about what they were when he started in place of Tyson Chandler in Phoenix, not when he was in a three man rotation in Milwaukee. That makes him a solid mid tier center with the potential to be even more.
In the wake of losing Monroe to the Celtics, the desperate Pelicans signed veteran free agent Emeka Okafor. Okafor was toiling in the G-League with the Delaware 87ers, the Philadelphia affiliate. Okafor was the second overall pick in the 2004 Draft and has averaged 12.3 points and 9.9 rebounds over 590 games in his NBA career.
Okafor likely has no fantasy value, but he could take production away from Darius Miller and Dante Cunningham, both of whom I have owned at times in my 20 team league this year. The Monroe signing also takes away almost all of the fantasy value that Aron Baynes had. He can be dropped in all but the deepest of leagues.
Next: How will Mirotic do in New Orleans?
Stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for the breakdowns of all of the deadline deals! We also have all of your DFS needs covered!